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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/20/get-prepped-for-state-of-decay-year-one-on-xbox-one-in-april/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/20/get-prepped-for-state-of-decay-year-one-on-xbox-one-in-april/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/20/get-prepped-for-state-of-decay-year-one-on-xbox-one-in-april/#commentsState of Decay: Year One Survival Edition fights for more life on Xbox One starting April 28 in North America, with other countries joining the party on May 1. Microsoft confirmed the game's US price is $30, while owners of the Xbox 360 original can get a 33 percent discount off the Xbox One version up until June 30.

The 1080p Xbox One edition of Undead Labs' zombified survival horror comes with add-on packs Breakdown and Lifeline, as well as new content. It's also just part of the developer's "multi-year, multi-title" agreement with Microsoft.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftmicrosoft-studiosrelease-datestate-of-decayundead-labsxbox-oneTue, 20 Jan 2015 09:02:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/29/state-of-decay-xbox-one-edition-hits-in-2015-1080p/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/29/state-of-decay-xbox-one-edition-hits-in-2015-1080p/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/29/state-of-decay-xbox-one-edition-hits-in-2015-1080p/#comments
And other numbers.State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition is heading to Xbox One in spring 2015. The game includes the add-on packs Breakdown and Lifeline, plus new content, and all of it running in 1080p.

Dubbed "Moonrise," the multiplayer, mobile roleplaying game centers on the titular Moonrise, an event that causes creatures known as Solari to turn from humanity's peaceful pals to murderous beasts known as Lunari. As a Warden, it's your job to defeat the Lunari (which, helpfully, turns them back into Solari and adds a new ally to your cause). If you get bored of beating on computer-controlled critters, you can also use your squad of loyal Solari to battle other Wardens via online multiplayer.

Undead Labs plans to launch a Moonrise beta test on iPhone, iPad and Android devices this Fall. Assuming all goes to plan, Moonrise will make its official debut in "early 2015."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidclass3iosipadiphonemobilemoonrisestate-of-decayundead-labsTue, 05 Aug 2014 05:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2014/05/27/state-of-decay-lifeline-dlc-surges-to-life-on-may-30/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/05/27/state-of-decay-lifeline-dlc-surges-to-life-on-may-30/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/05/27/state-of-decay-lifeline-dlc-surges-to-life-on-may-30/#commentsState of Decay's "Lifeline" DLC is due out on May 30 for $7, Undead Labs announced this week. The DLC is in certification now, and "if all goes well," it'll hit on May 30 alongside the "Rucks in Trucks" Title Update.

Lifeline places a squadron of soldiers on a new, zombie-infested map, where they must take down the undead, protect their base and rescue survivors. The map is a concrete jungle and former city center, complete with skyscrapers, freeway tunnels and overpasses, and helicopter pads.

The Rucks in Trucks Title Update lets players throw a sack of things into the back of a vehicle and drive it away. Undead went into the gritty details of Rucks in Trucks back in March.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3DLClifelinemicrosoftpcstate-of-decayundead-labsxboxTue, 27 May 2014 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/11/state-of-decay-lifeline-expansion-digs-up-a-new-map/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/11/state-of-decay-lifeline-expansion-digs-up-a-new-map/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/11/state-of-decay-lifeline-expansion-digs-up-a-new-map/#commentsState of Decay's second expansion pack, Lifeline, is in the internal testing process at Undead Labs. There's no launch date yet, but it includes a new map and the team is currently putting it through its paces on Steam, Community Director Sanya Weathers says on the Undead blog.

"We're not yet ready to discuss features or make promises," Weathers says. "All we can tell you is that it will offer you a new way to play your favorite survival game, that we intend to launch on PC and the Xbox 360 at the same time, and that yes, it will broaden your horizons by a few kilometers. Fine, I'll say it straight up: There's a new map, okay?"

Undead launched State of Decay's first expansion, Breakdown, in November. In January, Undead extended its relationship with Microsoft Studios in a "multi-year, multi-title" agreement, and it hired ArenaNet founder and MMO developer Patrick Wyatt.

"We'll be able to share details later this year, but as with State of Decay, we think it's best if we just keep our heads down and build some prototypes before we talk too much," said company founder Jeff Strain on the Undead Labs blog. "For now, suffice it to say there are big things going on with State of Decay."

So, the obvious guess here would be a version of State of Decay for Xbox One à la DayZ. But is that too obvious?

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftmicrosoft-studiosstate-of-decayundead-labsxbox-oneFri, 10 Jan 2014 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/19/state-of-decay-breaks-it-down-on-steam-early-access-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/19/state-of-decay-breaks-it-down-on-steam-early-access-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/19/state-of-decay-breaks-it-down-on-steam-early-access-tomorrow/#commentsState of Decay launches on Steam Early Access tomorrow, September 20, for $20. Undead warns that the Early Access version is not final - it may still crash and it doesn't support keyboard and mouse input yet. Players must use an Xbox 360 controller or similarly compatible gamepad for now. Undead will post keyboard interfaces in progress and use player feedback to perfect those before going live.

"This process is not for everyone," Undead writes. "Casual players, the easily frustrated, and the short of time should not get the Early Access version. Hey, I am all three of those things, y'all. Those are not criticisms. It's just that we want everyone to have the experience that best suits their needs."

The full version of State of Decay will launch later this year, and Early Access players will of course get that for free, with no need to restart. We found State of Decay on Xbox 360 to be technically frustrating, but an enjoyable zombie survival experience - as enjoyable as such grimness can be, anyway.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3pcstate-of-decaySTEAMsteam-early-accessundead-labsThu, 19 Sep 2013 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/06/state-of-decay-to-hit-steam-early-access-in-a-couple-of-weeks/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/06/state-of-decay-to-hit-steam-early-access-in-a-couple-of-weeks/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/06/state-of-decay-to-hit-steam-early-access-in-a-couple-of-weeks/#comments
Early Access to the zombifed landscape of State of Decay is coming in a "couple of weeks." Undead Labs Director of Community Samya Weathers said this week that there's no exact date for the keyboard-only Steam Early Access version, while the full keyboard-and-mouse game is still due for the PC portal later this year.

If you're wondering what Undead Labs is planning beyond State of Decay, including its posited MMO sequel Class4, the Seattle-based studio is working that all out right now.

"Discussions of future games are ongoing," said Weathers. "As in, going on now. Thank you from the bottom of all our hearts here at the Lab for making SoD a success, or these conversations wouldn't be happening!"

State of Decay passed 500,000 sales shortly after hitting Xbox Live Arcade, and it looks like it's nearing the million mark; we see 938,000-plus players registered on the leaderboards. That's why those conversations are happening.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftpcstate-of-decaysteamundead-labsxblaxblmxboxxbox-games-storeFri, 06 Sep 2013 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/07/state-of-decay-patch-fixes-large-survivor-community-glitch/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/07/state-of-decay-patch-fixes-large-survivor-community-glitch/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/07/state-of-decay-patch-fixes-large-survivor-community-glitch/#comments
Undead Labs has issued another patch for State of Decay on Xbox Live, addressing issues related to gathering a large number of survivors. Prior to the patch, the game would crash, freeze up the console or would fail to load altogether for some in-game survivor collectors.

While the majority of players will see this issue resolved with the update, Undead Labs warns that some may need to restart their game, "especially if you had a very large community relatively early in the map progression."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftpatchstate-of-decayundead-labsupdatexboxWed, 07 Aug 2013 23:59:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/17/state-of-decay-pc-coming-in-2013/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/17/state-of-decay-pc-coming-in-2013/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/17/state-of-decay-pc-coming-in-2013/#commentsState of Decay, XBLA's shambling hit that's sold over a half a million copies since its June 5 launch, will make its way to PC sometime this year. Undead Labs founder Jeff Strain confirmed the detail in a recent livestream, with plans to narrow down that five-month window as soon as possible.

The game will launch as part of Steam's Early Access program and will initially only have controller support. The final PC version will "of course" support mouse and keyboard.

Strain also teased an upcoming sandbox mode, saying, ""The goal of sandbox is to provide an unbounded experience, one with no victory condition that ends the game. The way we do that is to continue to have a world with finite resources, but find out 'how long can I stay alive.'"

Undead Labs plans to detail the sandbox mode sometime in the next week.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3pcstate-of-decayundead-labsWed, 17 Jul 2013 10:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/12/state-of-decay-stimulates-r18-rating-second-time-around/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/12/state-of-decay-stimulates-r18-rating-second-time-around/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/12/state-of-decay-stimulates-r18-rating-second-time-around/#commentsState of Decay passed its Australian Classification Board re-review with R18+ colors, confirming the ACB says no to drugs but yes-alright-then to vitamins. The XBLA horror was denied entry to Australia after the ACB waggled its finger at the depiction of drug use, so dev Undead Labs changed the game's "stimulants" to "supplements" and re-submitted it. Lo and behold, the game can now be sold in Oz, and in its announcement of the approval Undead said, "Stay tuned for more news tomorrow."

State of Decay was the second game to be banned in Australia since the R18+ rating's introduction, the first being none other than Saints Row 4. Developer Volition plans to submit a re-worked version of that game to the ACB, namely a "low violence" one if Steam Australia is anything to go by.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiaaustralian-classification-boardclass3microsoftr18+ratingsstate-of-decayundead-labsxboxFri, 12 Jul 2013 08:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/05/undead-labs-double-taps-plans-for-state-of-decay-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/05/undead-labs-double-taps-plans-for-state-of-decay-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/05/undead-labs-double-taps-plans-for-state-of-decay-multiplayer/#commentsState of Decay developer Undead Labs has been "thoroughly evaluating the possibility of adding co-op multiplayer" to the game and apparently determined that there isn't one. Co-op multiplayer was originally planned for the game, but ultimately scrapped as Undead Labs thought its inclusion could delay the launch of State of Decay for as much as half a year. An update on the developer's forums dashes all hopes that multiplayer might've someday made it into the Xbox Live Arcade hit.

In an update on the forums, "Undead Jeff" explains that it would take close to nine months to get multiplayer into the game. "We could 'check the box' and shoehorn multiplayer in sooner than that, but it wouldn't be a great experience, and certainly not one we'd be proud of," he explains. On top of that, pursuing multiplayer would inhibit Undead Labs' ability to support the game with further title updates and DLC.

As for future games, "Undead Jeff" says, "Multiplayer will be the absolute heart of any future State of Decay games. As many of you know, we've always had ambitious plans for the future of State of Decay, and those plans have not changed."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftmicrosoft-studiosmultiplayerstate-of-decayundead-labsupdatexblaxboxxbox-live-arcadeFri, 05 Jul 2013 13:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/03/state-of-decay-resubmitted-to-aussie-ratings-board/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/03/state-of-decay-resubmitted-to-aussie-ratings-board/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/03/state-of-decay-resubmitted-to-aussie-ratings-board/#commentsState of Decay is up for re-review at the Australian Classification Board, and developer Undead Labs is "feeling pretty optimistic" about getting approval this time around. Going by a recent Facebook post, the sandbox horror's revised version says so long to stimulants, replacing them with "supplements." The ACB originally refused entry to the XBLA breakout hit because of its depiction of drug use, a matter Saints Row 4 fell afoul of, too.

"Who could possibly not like vitamins? They're good for you," reads Undead's post.

While it waits to hear from the ACB about vitamins that may well include A, C, and B, the Seattle-based studio is keeping itself busy with the game's upcoming PC version. However, Undead doesn't expect to share any news on that for a while yet.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiaclass3microsoftratingsstate-of-decayundead-labsxboxWed, 03 Jul 2013 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/28/state-of-decay-fights-back-with-second-patch/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/28/state-of-decay-fights-back-with-second-patch/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/28/state-of-decay-fights-back-with-second-patch/#comments
Undead Labs, developer of State of Decay, has issued another title update hoping to strip away some of the unsightly crud clinging to the Xbox Live Arcade game.

The update is substantial, enabling a V-sync option designed to eliminate screen tearing. It also addresses pathing issues for zombies and soldiers in "The Armory" mission, improves analog stick sensitivity when aiming and squashes a bug that prevented story progression involving one of the survivors, Quentin. This second update follows a first attempt by Undead Labs to address some of the technical issues plaguing State of Decay.

After its debut earlier this month, State of Decay has been quite the success, reaching 250,000 copies sold in its first 48 hours and eclipsing half a million in sales as of last week. An MMO sequel, codenamed Class4, has always been planned at Undead Labs, though it's currently stuck in limbo at Microsoft.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftpatchstate-of-decaytitle-updateundead-labsxblaxboxxbox-live-arcadeFri, 28 Jun 2013 13:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/state-of-decay-sells-over-half-a-million-copies-update-being-re/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/state-of-decay-sells-over-half-a-million-copies-update-being-re/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/17/state-of-decay-sells-over-half-a-million-copies-update-being-re/#commentsState of Decay has sold over half a million copies since launching on Xbox Live Arcade on June 5. This makes the Undead Labs developed game the fastest selling original title ever on Xbox Live Arcade, according to Microsoft.

But everything isn't headshots and restful nights with State of Decay, as the game's first title update did experience some hiccups. XBLA Fans reports the patch on Friday night didn't do everything as intended. Undead Labs' founder Jeff Strain went to the company forums and said, "Reports started coming in that other bugs we had verified internally as fixed were apparently not fixed on the live version of the game." No word yet when that patch will be patched.

The game is currently in development for a PC release on Steam. Strain says Undead Labs "just need to integrate with the Steam platform and add native support for keyboard and mouse control."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3jeff-strainmicrosoftstate-of-decayundead-labsxboxMon, 17 Jun 2013 15:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/08/state-of-decay-sells-over-250k-units-in-first-48-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/08/state-of-decay-sells-over-250k-units-in-first-48-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/08/state-of-decay-sells-over-250k-units-in-first-48-hours/#comments
Undead Labs' zombie survival simulator State of Decay sold "more than a quarter million copies" within the first two days of its availability on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade platform, the developer announced on its official blog.

"The only game that ever sold more on XBLA this fast was Minecraft," the update reads. "We are not just riding on this train, however! We're never going to stop pushing to make the best games we can. If you're wondering what we're working on to make this game even better, please check out Jeff's Title Update post."

Said title update resolves several bugs and makes minor tweaks to various gameplay mechanics; it is expected to go live sometime next week.

This is the prevailing theme of State of Decay, Undead Labs' sandbox survival-horror game for Xbox Live Arcade. It's a game focused on the chores of survival in a post-apocalyptic world: scavenging for supplies in vacant buildings; trading with and aiding neighboring groups; comforting and managing emotional states of your own survivors; and, of course, dealing with the occasional zombie attack on your home.

State of Decay is constantly pulling you in many directions, making it difficult to decide what mission you should take next or what resource you should hunt down. The deluge of missions, radio messages and scavenging cycles never stops, and the hostile nature of the environment itself hardly provides incentive for pause to soak in the scenery.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftstate-of-decaysurvival-horrorundead-labsxblaxboxxbox-live-arcadeFri, 07 Jun 2013 16:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/03/state-of-decay-rises-on-xbla-june-5/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/03/state-of-decay-rises-on-xbla-june-5/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/03/state-of-decay-rises-on-xbla-june-5/#comments
Undead Labs' zombie game State of Decay is set to launch on Xbox Live June 5 for 1,600 MS Points ($20). The news comes via Major Nelson on Twitter, with Undead Labs confirming the date on its blog. No word on a date for the PC port yet.

Undead Labs announced it was working on a zombie MMO in 2009. In early 2011, the company revealed a title codenamed Class3, which was positioned as an open-world zombie game targeting XBLA that would serve as a precursor to its announced MMO. In 2012, Undead Labs re-branded the downloadable game as State of Decay, which still retains its focus on survival mechanics in an open-world environment.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftrelease-datestate-of-decayundead-labsxblaxboxxbox-live-arcadeMon, 03 Jun 2013 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/state-of-decay-pegged-for-june-5-release-according-to-gamestop/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/state-of-decay-pegged-for-june-5-release-according-to-gamestop/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/state-of-decay-pegged-for-june-5-release-according-to-gamestop/#comments
GameStop expects Undead Labs' zombie-packed Xbox Live Arcade survival horror game State of Decay to launch on June 5, according to a product listing obtained by IGN.

The retailer lists State of Decay at 1,600 Microsoft points ($20), putting it in the same premium price range as big-name XBLA releases like The Walking Dead and Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. Developer Undead Labs has not officially announced a price for State of Decay, and only divulged a nebulous "June" release date when a trailer launched last month.

Undead Labs community director Sanya Weathers notes in a forum post that June 5 is the developer's launch goal, but a final release date has not been determined. "We have not completed certification," she explains. "Until we've completed certification, there is no date."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftstate-of-decayundead-labsxblaxboxWed, 15 May 2013 21:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/13/state-of-decay-gets-new-trailer-coming-to-xbla-in-june/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/13/state-of-decay-gets-new-trailer-coming-to-xbla-in-june/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/13/state-of-decay-gets-new-trailer-coming-to-xbla-in-june/#commentsUndead Labs has announced a June release window for State of Decay on Xbox Live Arcade. The game, formerly known as Class3, features a whole mess of zombies and survival horror action. While State of Decay will come to PC in addition to XBLA, the release window announcement from Undead Labs only specifically notes that the Xbox 360 version will launch in June.

The developer recently unveiled a new trailer for the game as well, which we've embedded above.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3microsoftmicrosoft-studiospcrelease-windowstate-of-decaytrailerundead-labsxboxSat, 13 Apr 2013 19:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/21/state-of-decay-class3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/21/state-of-decay-class3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/21/state-of-decay-class3/#commentsIt's been a long time since we've heard anything concrete on Class3, the upcoming zombie XBLA game from Undead Labs. Well, that's probably because Class3 is dead - it's now called State of Decay.

The latest trailer above reveals the new moniker, and also a new platform: the PC. Microsoft Studios is still publishing State of Decay, and while this new trailer seems counter to the low prominence of combat Jeff Strain promised us so many moons ago, we're just glad this project is still skulking around.

The above video of Undead Labs' Class3 isn't exactly what we'd call gameplay per se, but it is our first glimpse at what the survival simulator will roughly look like once it eventually shambles its way onto XBLA. The game will run on CryEngine 3, and despite still being in the earliest of development stages, things are looking pretty solid for an XBLA game.

Don't these zombies have anything better to do than to stand around all day, though? Get a job, zombies!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3cryenginecryengine-3microsoftUndead-LabsXBLAxboxzombiezombiesSun, 21 Aug 2011 11:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/class3-interview-jeff-strain/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/class3-interview-jeff-strain/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/class3-interview-jeff-strain/#comments
Judging by the comments section of most articles we write about new games and DLC that feature zombies, we'd say that Jeff Strain and his band of merry reanimated corpse enthusiasts (collectively and appropriately called Undead Labs) are at an immediate disadvantage with the announcement of their zombified XBLA title, Class3. We can't help but sympathize with their worries -- in the past three years, we've crushed, shot, sliced, exploded and generally obliterated more virtual zombies than we could ever possibly hope to count throughout the fullness of time.

That's exactly where Class3 -- a temporary codename, mind you, and a direct reference to Max Brooks' seminal Zombie Survival Guide -- sets itself apart. We recently spoke with Strain about how the team's first onus (which recently found a publishing partner in Microsoft Game Studios) stands out among a veritable field of undead offerings, and he explained succinctly, "In a real zombie apocalypse, you wouldn't just gather up the guns and go hunting zombies. You'd be trying to avoid them. You'd be trying to survive."

All zombie-centric games run a balance between providing the player with impetus to destroy zombies, and tasking the player with not being destroyed by zombies. Based on Strain's vision for the title, Class3 sounds like it leans decidedly towards the latter.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3jeff-strainmicrosoftmicrosoft-game-studiosundead-labsxblaxboxzombiesThu, 03 Feb 2011 19:20:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/undead-labs-class3-to-serve-as-precursor-for-mmo-focused-class/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/undead-labs-class3-to-serve-as-precursor-for-mmo-focused-class/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/undead-labs-class3-to-serve-as-precursor-for-mmo-focused-class/#comments
While going down the fact sheet for Undead Labs' Microsoft-published XBLA title (codenamed) Class3, a certain something seems to be missing: Any mention of the "MMO" classification. Considering the gaming lineage of studio founder Jeff Strain, ArenaNet co-founder and former World of Warcraft lead programmer -- not to mention Undead Labs' late 2009 mission statement to create an "MMOZ" -- an absence of the genre's mention seems a bit odd. Strain recently explained to us the avoidance of the subject: Class3 will not play host to the "online world" features envisioned by the developer -- but Class4 will.

"What we've decided to do is take that first step," Strain explained. "We're going place a marker along the path, and release this game we're calling Class3, that has all of the fundamental points in terms of the way you interact with the world, the way your character progresses, the way you establish outposts, the way define your goals in the game, the way you fight zombies and the way they fight you -- the minute by minute core of the game will all be there in Class3. The only thing it won't have is the massive player participation the sequel will have."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>class3class4jeff-strainmicrosoftmicrosoft-game-studiosundead-labsxblaxboxThu, 03 Feb 2011 15:10:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/undead-labs-class3/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/undead-labs-class3/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/03/undead-labs-class3/#comments
When ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain and a handful of his cohorts announced Undead Labs in late 2009 with the intention of creating "the definitive massively multiplayer online zombie game (MMOZ) for console gamers," we don't know what we expected, but it probably wasn't an Xbox Live Arcade game. Some fourteen months after that announcement, Undead Labs is ready to start talking about its "inaugural" title, currently codenamed "Class3," an XBLA game being published by none other than the MMO-wary Microsoft Game Studios and billed as "an open world zombie-survival game."

If that Xbox Live Arcade setting sounds anticlimactic, you'll be happy to hear that it's just step one for Strain and friends. "We plan to create an ambitious open world XBLA game and use its gameplay, setting, and technology as the foundation for a full online world game," Strain said. The press release continues, "The open world develops in real-time, shaped by player actions, with content determined by their choices and the ever-increasing zombie threat."

It's worth pointing out that Undead has backed away from the term "MMO" entirely; it never appears in today's press release, and while that followup project - codenamed "Class4" - will contain many MMO elements, even that won't be branded with those three little letters. For more on Class4, check out our interview with Jeff Strain later today.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Class3Jeff-StrainmicrosoftMicrosoft-Game-StudiosUndead-LabsXBLAxboxThu, 03 Feb 2011 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/25/undead-labs-jeff-strain-is-totally-into-zombies/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/25/undead-labs-jeff-strain-is-totally-into-zombies/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/25/undead-labs-jeff-strain-is-totally-into-zombies/#comments
We've already told you about Blizzard/NCsoft vet Jeff Strain's startup, Undead Labs, which is creating a zombie-centric, console-based MMO (sorry, marketing dept., we're not going to call it an MMOZ), but we haven't told you much about the game itself. Though this Eurogamer interview still provides next to no perspective on that topic, it does offer a considerable amount of insight into how much Strain thinks about zombies.

Take this gem for instance: "People are passionate about zombies ... the reason I'm talking about it is because I want zombie fans. I want the best developers in the industry that love zombies to want to work here."

Or perhaps this: "The reason zombies are so powerful and transcend fantasy is because right now they are the modern, societal guilt-free meat-puppet. We've been through the Nazi phase, we've been through the communist phase, we've been through the terrorist phase. Those were all at various times in history fair game in the gaming culture. Right now zombies are fulfilling that need for us. That no-rules, no-guilt mentality is something that people really resonate with."

So, what Strain is saying is that we used to be really angry at terrorists, but now, instead of that, we hate zombies. Will history remember how close Strain just came to inventing the zombie terrorist, the video game enemy that will someday unite the world, Wyld Stallyns-style? We suspect it will not.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardclass3jeff-strainmmoundead-labszombie-terroristszombiesWed, 25 Nov 2009 09:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/undead-labs-creating-zombie-mmo-for-consoles/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/undead-labs-creating-zombie-mmo-for-consoles/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/undead-labs-creating-zombie-mmo-for-consoles/#comments
Poor zombies. By hungering for nothing so much as our brain matter, they've turned themselves into the most widely-slaughtered video game villains after Nazis and spiders. Now a start-up developer called Undead Labs is taking the zombie genre to the next logical step with a currently untitled zombie-based MMO made specifically for consoles.

In the announcement, company boss Jeff Strain said "Every time I see a good zombie movie with friends, we spend days debating our strategies for surviving the zombie apocalypse. The police station, or the supermarket? Garden rake, or staple gun? Bach, or the White Stripes? I'm a game developer, so I'd probably be useless for anything other than ghoul bait, but I'm excited to have the opportunity to build an MMOZ that lets us put those strategies to the test and find out for sure."

Strain, who helped found ArenaNet and was the executive producer for NCsoft's Guild Wars, certainly has the right pedigree for a project like this. But it's hard to say if this will be the ultimate zombie experience, or the title that finally (re)buries zombies for good. Here's hoping it's the former.